The biggest plantain market in Lagos, Omolere Plantain Market in Agboyi Ketu area of Lagos has been closed down following the refusal of the Market Pioneers to allow the landowner, Mr. Isiaka Abdullahi, to emerge as the Baba Oloja (man leader).
NewsGazette learnt that the market has been in existence for over 10 years and that trouble began when Abdullahi insisted on becoming the next man leader.
The Market Pioneers, it was learnt, resisted the move arguing that Abdullahi is not a plantain trader but a dealer in building materials in Owode Onirin in the Ikorodu area Lagos.
The landowner was infuriated and locked up the market on Thursday, May 5 and turned a deaf ear to all entreaties to reconsider his action.
One of the traders, Mrs. Adetutu Adewale, said in an interview that Abdullahi had earlier threatened to shut their shops should they stop him from having his way as the Baba Oloja especially when the position became vacant at a certain time.
She said the position of Baba Oloja was vacant after the former holder of the office, Mr. Mufutau Oyegunle, was removed in 2019 for alleged financial impropriety.
Thereafter, she said a 15-man committee was set up to oversee the affairs of the market.
Adewale said Abdullahi started manoeuvres of becoming the Baba Oloja first by allegedly collecting N5 million which the market owed to him during Oyegunle’s tenure.
“We pay annual rent of N1 million to him, but suddenly, he reviewed the rent upward to N5 million annually, which is about 500 per cent increment.
“This necessitated the move by the former Baba Oloja to take him to court.
“However, he deceived us into withdrawing the case from the court. We did and paid the areas of three years. But after Abdullahi received the money in February this year, he gave us a quit notice and eventually locked the market on May 5.
Adewale also accused Abdullahi of attempting to change the name of the market a move she said was resisted by the traders.
She therefore appealed to the Iya Oloja General of Lagos, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, to intervene in the matter before it degenerated further.
“We moved from Yaba Market a few years ago to the present place in 2014. The Omolere Plantain Market is the largest plantain market in Lagos with over 500 members.
“Though Abdullahi is the owner of the land where we currently sell our goods, he is a rod merchant at Owode Onirin within Ikorodu area of the state.
“We want to use this medium to appeal to the Iya Oloja General to intervene in the matter so that we can return to our place of work.
“We are all locked out of the premises now. This is what we all do to feed our families. We also want to appeal to people with good conscience to come to our aid,” she said.
Efforts to make Abdullahi comment on the matter were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls made his mobile phone.
